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A list of high-profile Canadians facing allegations of inappropriate behaviour

February 9, 2018 - 1:15pm

A glance at some of the high-profile Canadians facing allegations of inappropriate behaviour in recent months:

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Peter Stoffer

Multiple women came forward with allegations of inappropriate touching during Stoffer's time as an NDP member of parliament. One of the complainants, Lauren Dobson-Hughes, accused him of grabbing and kissing her without her consent on two separate occasions in 2006 and 2009. Dobson-Hughes, who was an NDP staffer at the time of the alleged incidents, told the National Post that several other MPs and senior staff were present at the second alleged incident "but nobody batted an eyelid.'' Stoffer specifically denied sexually assaulting or physically abusing anyone, but admitted his behaviour as a "very gregarious, fun-going person'' may have led to conduct perceived as inappropriate. He described himself as a "touchy person" and offered an apology for making anyone feel uncomfortable.

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Kent Hehr

Hehr resigned from the federal cabinet on Jan. 25, a day after the sport and disabilities minister was accused of making inappropriate sexual remarks while a provincial politician in Alberta. The Prime Minister's Office has engaged lawyer Christine Thomlinson to conduct an independent investigation into the allegations. Hehr has not directly addressed the allegations, but has said he believes harassment is never acceptable and everyone deserves to have their voice heard.

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Patrick Brown

Brown resigned as leader of Ontario's Progressive Conservatives on Jan. 25 after sexual misconduct allegations from two women were reported by CTV News. Brown has emphatically denied the allegations about his conduct and his character. He later issued a statement on Twitter saying the truth would come out, adding that false allegations undermine the "good work" of the #metoo movement. The allegations against Brown, which have not been independently verified by The Canadian Press, date back to his time as a member of Parliament.

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Rick Dykstra

Dykstra resigned Jan. 28 as president of Ontario's Progressive Conservative party, hours before Maclean's Magazine published allegations that he was accused of sexually assaulting a young Conservative staffer in 2014, when he was an MP. The magazine reported that senior Conservative campaign operatives were aware of the allegations and decided to allow him to run in 2015 anyway. Dykstra's lawyers have said he "categorically denies" the Maclean's report, which has not been independently confirmed by The Canadian Press.

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Darshan Kang

Kang, a Calgary Liberal MP, stepped away from the Liberal caucus last August while sexual harassment allegations against him are investigated. He resigned from caucus shortly after The Hill Times reported that a woman who worked in Kang's constituency office when he was a member of the Alberta legislature had come forward alleging she was sexually harassed. Kang said he was resigning to focus on clearing his name.

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Albert Schultz

Schultz, the co-founder of the Toronto-based Soulpepper Theatre Company, resigned Jan. 5 after four women launched lawsuits alleging he had sexually harassed them with impunity for years. Schultz has said he will "vigorously defend" himself against the allegations. The theatre company said it was unaware of any allegations of misconduct against Schultz or anyone else, having conducted investigations into the issue as recently in the fall of 2017. Soulpepper said Jan. 6 it had parted ways with Leslie Lester, Schultz's wife and the company's executive director.

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Gilbert Rozon

Rozon, founder and majority shareholder of Just For Laughs, stepped down as president in October 2017 following allegations from at least 10 women that he either sexually harassed or sexually assaulted them. In November, a group of women announced they had filed an application for a class action lawsuit against the businessman, claiming he "abused at least 20 victims over a period of 34 years,'' between 1982 and 2016. No charges have been laid, and none of the allegations have been proven in court. Months after his resignation, he refuted the allegations and said he never had sex with anyone against their will.

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Steve Paikin

The television host with Ontario's public broadcaster was accused of asking a woman to sleep with him in exchange for more airtime on "The Agenda," the popular show he anchors. He vehemently denied the allegations, calling them "complete fiction" and describing them as defamatory. Paikin and provincially funded broadcaster TVO have said the claims were made by former Toronto mayoral candidate Sarah Thomson, who Paikin said he has known professionally for more than a decade. Thomson outlined her allegations on the website Women's Post, alleging an unnamed political talk show host "asked me if I would sleep with him'' after attending a lunch at a Toronto restaurant in 2010. She has not responded to requests for comment from The Canadian Press. TVO has said an independent third party is investigating the claims and that in the meantime, Paikin will continue to host "The Agenda.''

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Paul Bliss

Bliss, an Ontario legislature reporter for CTV, was suspended by Bell Media on Jan. 26 over allegations of sexual misconduct by a woman who says she was a former employee with the broadcaster. Scott Henderson, the company's vice president of communications, said the allegations made in a blog post by Bridget Brown are being taken very seriously. The allegations have not been verified by The Canadian Press.

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Gregg Zaun

Zaun, a Sportsnet baseball analyst, lost his job after multiple female Sportsnet employees complained about his inappropriate behaviour in the workplace. Zaun said he "naively" believed his language was not offensive.

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